Our History
The Trust has been producing literary-based productions throughout Scotland since 1996 on a regular basis, gathering a strong portfolio of theatre – promenade productions aimed at the cultural tourism and educational sector.
The most significant production to date is the highly popular and award-winning ‘Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour.’ This entertaining dramatic romp through 300 years of Scottish literary history appeals to people of all ages, local and international visitors alike. It welcomes students and young people over the age of 18 who can appreciate the entertainment value, whilst learning about Scottish writers and their lives. The tour won The Scottish Thistle Award for Arts and Tourisim in 1997.Click here for an in depth contextualisation of the tour
THE MAKARS’ LITERARY TOUR
The Scottish Literary Tour Trust Ltd (our parent company) also produced The Makars’ Literary Tour: An interactive journey spanning 500 years of Scottish literature! This tour was performed at the site of Scotland’s first evolving national literary monument; The Makars’ Court at The Writers’ Museum – a literary commemoration in stone. It celebrates the lives and works of Scottish Makars and stresses the role of the poet or author as a skilled and versatile worker in the craft of writing. The tour was aimed at students of Scottish literary history and younger pupils studying Scottish literature as part of the school curriculum – consisting of a lively immersive theatre performance across The Makars’ Court. The SLTT devised and produced a comprehensive teachers’ pack and an interactive CD ROM, which was then distributed to secondary schools throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians with funding from The Scottish Arts Council, to enhance the learning experience in preparation of student visits to the site. Click here to learn more about The Makars’ Literary Tour
THE EDINBURGH LITERARY BUS TOUR
First launched as a pilot in 2009 and winner of a TIDA Award, the Tourism Innovation Development Award, this project was the first literary tour of its kind on wheels in Edinburgh! Encompassing the spectrum of literary heritage and the work of current contemporary writers, professional actors provided a dramatised narrative commentary in an entertaining bus tour around Edinburgh. Set against Edinburgh’s unique literary landscape, education and cultural tourism prove themselves to be excellent bedfellows!
LANDLINES
The SLTT launched Land Lines in 2001 at The Edinburgh International Book Festival. An illustrated guide to the literature and landscape of Scotland, an inspiring and imaginative journey over a panoramic sweep of Scottish Literary history – inviting you to travel through time and place, memory and emotion, as expressed through the personal vision of our writers and poets. This richly illustrated story of the changing shape of Scotland is underpinned and illuminated by a mastery of narrative, seamlessly and subtly blending stories and verse, fact with fiction.
The SLTT currently has plans to publish a second edition of Land Lines, in conjunction with a national photography competition in 2024.
THE GLASGOW LITERARY TOUR
The SLTT produced The Glasgow Literary Tour- a hilarious and fascinating walk – arm in arm – with the great writers and characters, who throughout the generations, Glasgow has made her own. Experience a city according to the imagination of “Scott, Burns, McGonagal, Alasdair Gray, Edwin Morgan, Willaim Mclivanney and many more! Whit’s the odds, its aw Glasgow!
Let our professional actors crack the veneer of Glasgow’s classic myths, through a dramatic script packed with fun, fact, stories and poetry. A brilliant and witty journey exploring Glasgow’s influence on writers and poets-inspired by the unique vibrant atmosphere for which the city is renowned.
Our Mission
The Scottish Literary Tour Trust Ltd aims to produce unique literary projects which entertain and inform a wide audience through the collaboration of Scottish talent past and present. Our objective is to raise awareness of Scotland’s rich literary heritage throughout the world.
Founder’s Note
Morris Paton
I founded the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour in 1996 and we won The Scottish Thistle Award in 1997 for “Arts & Tourism”, presented by Visit Scotland, now referred to as “Cultural Tourism”, but in those days it was in its infancy. The idea of collaborating with writers and actors to bring a place to life – exploring a literary rural or urban landscape, just seemed like common sense at the time. Now I think the qualities that professionally trained actors can bring to the table, as great communicators in a variety of situations, is much more appreciated than it was. Hurray! It was always such a waste of energy waiting on all these tables and not getting the opportunity to flex our creative muscles in a professional working environment post drama-school.
With the enthusiasm that a new award for a project can bring, we set about rolling out other literary tours across the country; in The Highlands, The Scottish Borders and in Glasgow. We also piloted The Edinburgh Literary Bus Tour, departing daily from the site of “The Edinburgh International Book Festival”, ironically somewhat de-railed by the development of Edinburgh’s new tram system at the time.
It was a natural progression to begin working within the Educational sector and we spent many years animating The Makars’ Court , in Edinburgh’s Lawnmarket – Scotlands’ only National Literary Monument to Literature, where we invited school groups and teachers, culminating in a teachers-pack and accompanying CD ROM, which tells you just how long ago it was! Distributed to secondary schools throughout Edinburgh and The Lothian’s, the pack served as a pre site-specific aid and as a useful tool to assist with the learning of Scottish Literature, as part of the curriculum in the classroom. This seminal work has many strategic partners working in collaboration with it’s development and we are proud to be a catalyst for further development if we can. New development work in this unique and important space has been reactivated to continue throughout 2023 and beyond.
The culmination of our animated work in “literary topography” came with the launch of our first title, “Land Lines”, an exploration of 300 years of Scottish literary history, published by Polygon and launched at The Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2003. It sold well throughout The UK and The States, (both paper-back and hard copies) and is now something of a collector’s item. The Trust will soon be announcing plans for the launch of a second edition in conjunction with a Scotland wide photography exhibition.
I think on reflection, we were a bit premature with some of our pioneering projects and some of them definitely deserve a second outing: The Glasgow Literary Tour, The Makars’ Literary Tour and of course who doesn’t love a good bus tour…. With your help and support and by simply joining us on our tours you can help us to keep our ideas alive.
Meet the team
Paul Murray
Clart
Paul Murray lives in Edinburgh. He trained at Edinburgh College in 1988/89. Since leaving college, he has worked with various Scottish theatre companies, including The Lyceum, Traverse, Fifth Estate, Baldy Bane, Catch Theatre, Frantic Redhead. Productions include: Trelawny of the Wells, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Beauty and the Beast, The Archives of Countess D, Kepler, Counsel of Butterflies, Macbeth, The Burning, St Joan, A Man for All Seasons, and The Shepherd beguiled.
Dewi Wynne Jones
McBrain
Welsh actor Dewi Wynne Jones has performed extensively in short films, Fringe and touring productions including Vincent Van Gogh, Misbegotten Son; Lord Windermere, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Nissim and Christmas on Mars. After spending two years in San Francisco, mainly performing light hearted revues in the city’s Lavender Lounge, he returned to Edinburgh to travel with educational projects and join the tour.
Mike Daviot
Clart
Michael has been an actor-playwright for forty years, twenty of them in England. Roles include Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Elyot Chase in Private Lives and Prospero in The Tempest. He has written and performed seven solo plays, including Hyde & Seek, Nosferatu’s Shadow and the recently completed A Noble Clown, about the great Scottish actor, Duncan Macrae.
Hazel Murray
McBrain
Originally from Dundee, Hazel has lived in Edinburgh since 1997. She was a founder member of Secret Theatre; an inclusive theatre company who performed at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has appeared in various productions including; The Hobbit, Garden of Delight, The passion play, conflict in court and Macbeth.
Marilyn Blyth Wilson
McBrain
Marilyn is an award winning actress, theatre maker and teacher. She works in theatre, film and voice. Most recently she has been assistant director for Surge Scotland Festival and Community Project – Fife pride.
Dougal Lee
Clart
Dougal Lee has appeared in hundreds of plays, including as many as seventy at Pitlochry, where his Jack Tanner in Shaw’s ‘Man and Superman’ was nominated for a Best Actor CATS award. He was the original George in the long-running West End French farce ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’, apt casting for an English graduate whose specialism was pre-1600 Scottish poetry.
Riley Stewart
McBrain
Riley started off his life as a motor vehicle mechanic and then worked in a factory until he retrained as a mature student to become a professional actor. In his professional career, he has worked for Hull Truck Theatre Company in Bouncers and Happy families were he extensively toured the UK. Not only has Riley performed in theatre, he has worked across all mediums as an an actor. He has appeared on TV in Born and Bred for the BBC, and worked for Channel 5 and Nickelodeon. His film work includes; Burning Men, Shadow Gene, Film and Crossing Bridges. He has also appeared in several short films, and also performed in a radio play titled Medium Risk. You can also hear him play all the male roles in a radio series titled Tantallon Tales on the platform Dramafy. He has also written, directed and performed in an original short film titled I am Here. Riley also has experience performing improv and Stand up comedy. He enjoys relaxing by shouting at the TV.
Blair Flucker
McBrain
Blair Flucker is an actor and dancer from Scotland. He first discovered his passion for the performing arts when he joined a youth theatre company as a child. He then went on to study drama and physical theatre at high school and college, before going on to Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen. Blair discovered his love of dancing in 2014 when he was cast in Matthew Bourne’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ in Glasgow. Since then he has performed in
various theatre productions including ‘Angels in America’ with New Celts Productions, ‘The Greenhouse’ with his own company Southpaw Productions and ‘Four Go Wild in Wellies’ with IndepenDance since 2018. Working on ‘Four Go Wild in Wellies’ has given Blair the experience of travelling and touring with the show throughout Scotland, England and Colombia.